MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Alaska Air Group, Inc. $ALK

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Alaska Air Group by 13,665% in Q1, acquiring 303,380 shares valued at approximately $14.93 million.
• Major institutional investors, including Wood Tarver Financial Group and UMB Bank n.a., also adjusted their holdings, with 81.90% of Alaska Air Group's stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Recently, insider transactions included CFO Shane R. Tackett and SVP Kyle B. Levine selling shares, resulting in a notable decrease in their respective positions in the company.

MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK - Free Report) by 13,665.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 303,380 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 301,176 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned about 0.25% of Alaska Air Group worth $14,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Alaska Air Group by 41.1% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 632 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,982 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,082,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,821 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,865 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its stake in Alaska Air Group by 125.7% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 677 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. 81.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alaska Air Group Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:ALK traded up $1.32 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $63.16. 2,478,063 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,105,747. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $53.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.60. Alaska Air Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.67 and a twelve month high of $78.08.

Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. Alaska Air Group had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. Alaska Air Group has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.000-1.400 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.250- EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alaska Air Group, Inc. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ALK shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Alaska Air Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Alaska Air Group from $49.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alaska Air Group

In other Alaska Air Group news, VP Emily Halverson sold 2,946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.34, for a total value of $151,247.64. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,253 shares in the company, valued at $423,709.02. The trade was a 26.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kyle B. Levine sold 5,914 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.75, for a total transaction of $341,533.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 20,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,207,956.75. The trade was a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,460 shares of company stock worth $1,182,553. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Alaska Air Group Company Profile

Alaska Air Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates airlines. It operates through three segments: Mainline, Regional, and Horizon. The company offers scheduled air transportation services on Boeing jet aircraft for passengers and cargo in the United States, and in parts of Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and the Bahamas; and for passengers across a shorter distance network within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.